Burn-induced alterations in feeding, energy expenditure, and brain amine neurotransmitters in rats

A 30% body surface area, open-flame, full-thickness burn of adult rats induced a 4-day period of anorexia that was followed by hyperphagia beginning on postburn day 10. The hyperphagic burned rats also exhibited increased resting energy expenditure and no gain in body weight, suggesting hypermetabolism. Plasma levels of immunoreactive insulin and albumin were decreased in both groups of burned rats; immunoreactive pancreatic glucagon concentrations were elevated only in the anorectic burned rats. Plasma levels of epinephrine were elevated in the hyperphagic burned rats. In the brain, dopamine metabolism appeared to be increased in the corpus striatum, nucleus accumbens, and amygdala of anorectic burned rats; norepinephrine levels were elevated in the hypothalamus and nucleus accumbens of the hyperphagic-hypermetabolic rats. These data indicate that this animal model of major burn trauma exhibits anorexia, hyperphagia, catabolism, and hypermetabolism. Furthermore, elevated dopamine metabolism appears to be associated with the anorexia, while the hyperphagia-hypermetabolism may be mediated by norepinephrine.

Efficacy of vaccination with Skinner vaccine towards the prevention of herpes simplex virus induced cervical carcinoma in an experimental mouse model

The incidence of cervical carcinoma, which had been induced by vaginal application of inactivated herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) with 20% croton oil, was significantly reduced in mice prevaccinated with the Skinner herpes vaccine. There was evidence of an immunological response in both vaccinated and unvaccinated mice.

[Ultrasound-guided percutaneous fine-needle puncture cytology in the diagnosis of malignant tumors of the liver]

Results of ultrasound guided percutaneous fine-needle puncture cytology in 142 cases of malignant tumors of the liver are reported. The positive cytology was noted in 118 (83.1%) (10 suspicious). The primary liver cancer comprised 99 cases. In 7 lesions, equal to or less than 3 cm in diameters, 6 were positive in cytology. In 20,3-5 cm in size, 18 were positive. In 15 false-negatives, 12 were larger than 5 cm in diameter. Among 43 cases of metastatic liver cancer, 34 showed positive cytology and 9 false-negative. Among 108 cases of benign hepatic diseases, in 49.1%, it was difficult to arrive at definitive diagnosis by ultrasonography only, but in 97.2% malignancy was excluded by ultrasound guided fine-needle puncture cytology. The suspicious false-positive result occurred only in 3 cases. In this series, there were 250 cases of malignant tumors and benign diseases. The overall accurate diagnostic rate was 89.2%. All the patients had been followed for more than 6 months. The differential diagnosis between malignant and benign tumors, causes of misdiagnosis and complications are discussed.

Reversal of tumor-induced biochemical abnormalities by insulin treatment in rats

In F344 rats bearing transplantable 3-methylcholanthrene (CAS: 56-49-5)-induced sarcomas, plasma concentrations of immunoreactive insulin were decreased following the development of mild or severe anorexia. Plasma levels of immunoreactive glucagon and lactate were elevated in severely anorectic tumor-bearing (TB) rats, while plasma glucose concentrations remained normal. Both groups of TB rats exhibited decreased plasma levels of serine, glutamine, citrulline, and tryptophan and increased concentrations of alanine. Plasma levels of proline and phenylalanine were also elevated in the severely anorectic TB rats. In a second experiment, 7 daily treatments with insulin corrected the anorexia for 6 days and increased body weights of TB rats. Plasma concentrations of lactate and immunoreactive glucagon were decreased, and the abnormal plasma concentrations of glutamine, proline, analine, and phenylalanine were altered toward normal following the insulin treatments. Therefore, these data are consistent with insulin treatments benefiting the TB host by increasing feeding, increasing body weight, reducing tumor glycolysis and metabolism, reducing gluconeogenesis, and reducing host catabolism, while not stimulating tumor growth. Thus insulin therapy may have potential benefits in cancer treatment by shifting glucose metabolism toward the host and away from the tumor.

Hormonal responses to complete or hydrolyzed protein diets in patients after upper gastrointestinal surgery

Six gastrointestinal hormones were measured in the plasma of six healthy controls and long-term changes were evaluated in six patients 2-20 years after upper gastrointestinal surgery. In a metabolic unit study we determined fasting hormonal levels, the time to peak hormonal response, and a 135-minute hormonal response to the meal. Test meals were isocaloric, 500 kcal, and isonitrogenous, consisting either of natural breakfast components or of complete liquid diets with intact protein (Ensure) or hydrolyzed protein (Vital). Postsurgical subjects were in good health and had no postcibal complaints. Nevertheless, their hemoglobin and serum albumin were significantly lower than in controls. Postsurgical subjects had higher fasting gastrin (121.3 +/- 11.6 vs 65.4 +/- 6.6 pg/ml, P less than .01) and motilin (148.7 +/- 32.9 vs 70.4 +/- 13.1 pg/ml, P less than .05) than controls. In postsurgical patients the peak gastrin and pancreatic glucagon responses to meals were obtained in significantly shorter time. Their total response to motilin and secretin to meals was significantly lower than in controls. Fasting glucose and the meal-induced responses of insulin and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide were not different from controls. The nature of dietary protein did not significantly affect hormonal responses to feeding. We conclude that gastrointestinal hormonal changes persist many years after surgery. These changes are probably related to faster transit of meals with a generally weaker total hormonal response to feeding. Although these differences from normal may be nutritionally well compensated, they may become important in periods of metabolic stress.

[Discovery of herpes simplex virus (HSV)-like particles in biopsy samples of cervical carcinoma]

The tissue of cervical cancer and HSV-2 infected baby rabbit kidney (BRK) cells were studied comparatively by electron microscope. In 2 out of 12 samples from patients with cervical carcinoma, some virus-like particles were observed in the cytoplasm or intercellular space. Some particles seemed to be enveloped by endoplasmic reticulum. According to their size, structure and morphology, these particles resembled the herpes simplex virus. The relationship between the discovery of herpes simplex virus-like particles in tissue of cervical cancer and the development of this cancer is discussed.

Effects of Mycoplasma hominis on in-vitro studies of Neisseria gonorrhoeae

This study examined the effects Mycoplasma hominis might have on Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Two auxotype standard strains of N. gonorrhoeae were found by culture and by light, fluorescence, and electron microscopy to be contaminated with M. hominis. In the presence of M. hominis, these strains of N. gonorrhoeae were typed as prototrophic. Removal of the mycoplasmas by passage of the N. gonorrhoeae on serum-free medium resulted in a second change in growth requirements rather than a reversion to the initial auxotypes. For one of these gonococcal strains, the presence of M. hominis also coincided with a change in colonial morphology and the appearance of a 2.6 X 10(6)-dalton plasmid, changes which persisted after the mycoplasmas had been eliminated from the culture of N. gonorrhoeae. The plasmid was not detected in a pure culture of the M. hominis strain or when it and the N. gonorrhoeae strain were intentionally co-cultivated. While these findings cannot be fully explained, they emphasize the importance of ensuring that all strains of N. gonorrhoeae used for in vitro studies are free of mycoplasmas.

Release of secretin immunoreactivity from the ileum

In the rat, about 80% of the intestinal content of secretin immunoreactivity is found distal to the duodenum with a peak in the ileum. This work therefore studied whether the secretin immunoreactivity in distal ileum could be released by substances normally found in the intestinal lumen. An isolated loop of ileum or duodenum was perfused with 100 mM HCl, 3 mM HCl, 50 mM taurocholate, 50 mM oleate, 308 mM glucose, 273 mM amino acids, or 308 mM NaCl in anesthetized rats. Release of secretin immunoreactivity was estimated by the integrated response above basal in portal blood. Substantial release of secretin immunoreactivity was seen after both ileal and duodenal perfusion with concentrated HCl and taurocholate, whereas perfusion with oleate was followed by a lesser response. The response to taurocholate was slower than that to HCl, but more likely represents a physiologic mechanism. The results show that the distal small intestine is capable of contributing to secretin immunoreactivity in the circulation and it is speculated that bile salts and secretin constitute parts of a negative feedback loop.

Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, cholecystokinin, glucagon, and bile-oleate-induced jejunal hyperemia

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the roles of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), cholecystokinin (CCK), and glucagon in the local regulation of the lipid-induced intestinal hyperemia. Total blood flow and the arteriovenous hormone concentration gradient were measured in isolated jejunal loops of anesthetized dogs with either saline, bile (10% in normal saline), oleic acid (40 mM in normal saline), or oleic acid and bile in the lumen. The bile-oleic acid mixture increased both blood flow (+21 +/- 7%) and VIP release (+118 +/- 7%), while CCK release was considerably less. There was a transient rise in glucagonlike immunoreactivity but no change in pancreatic glucagon release. Neither bile nor oleic acid alone altered either local blood flow or hormone release. Infusion of VIP into the arterial circulation of the jejunum significantly reduced vascular resistance (-11 +/- 4%) but at a dose (150 ng . min-1 X 100 g-1) 10 times that released in response to the bile-oleic acid mixture. This study indicates that oleic acid increases both blood flow and intestinal hormone production only when present in the lumen in micellar form and suggests that VIP could play a role in the jejunal vascular response to fat.

Alteichin: an unusual phytotoxin from Alternaria eichorniae, a fungal pathogen of water hyacinth

The phytopathogenic fungus Alternaria eichorniae attacks water hyacinth, an economically significant aquatic weed. The novel phytotoxin alteichin was isolated from liquid cultures of this fungus and its structure was deduced by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Altheichin is a doubly hydrated form of 4,9-dihydroxy perylene-3, 10-quinone. A single step dehydration of alteichin to anhydroalteichin is catalyzed both by acid and by a crude enzyme preparation from water hyacinth.

Glucagon, secretin and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide immunoreactivities in rat gut after jejuno-ileal bypass and resection

Jejuno-ileal bypass (JIB) and resection are associated with hyperplastic and other changes in residual functional gut. In studies on endocrine changes, circulating hormone levels are usually measured. In this study with Sprague-Dawley rats, glucagon, secretin and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), immunoreactivities were measured in extracts of gut tissues including formerly adjacent segments of functional and bypassed jejunum and ileum. Young adult (200-220 g) and mature (404-440 g) rats received greater than 90% JIB. Though slight differences were observed in the response of the young and old rats to the operations, and between the effects of JIB and resection, the results do not indicate major involvement of secretin, VIP or gut glucagon-like immunoreactivity in the effects of surgery. Changes include increased immunoreactivity of secretin in the upper and of VIP in the lower functional gut following JIB. N-terminal-to central glucagon immunoreactivity in the functional ileum did not change substantially after operations, but was significantly lower in the non-functional than functional ileum after bypass. Plasma levels of this immunoreactivity were higher following operations and highest following resection.

Sensitive radioimmunoassay for measurement of circulating peptide YY

A radioimmunoassay with sufficient sensitivity to detect the recently discovered, circulating peptide YY in the majority of healthy adults has been developed. The antiserum to synthetic peptide YY raised in rabbits essentially showed no cross-reactivity with bovine or porcine synthetic pancreatic polypeptide, neurotensin, or neuropeptide Y, but cross-reacted to the extent of 0.03% with synthetic peptide HI. The minimum detectable limit of the assay for plasma peptide YY was 20 pg/ml with coefficients of variation less than 16%. The immunoreactivity of peptide YY isolated from healthy adult plasma had a gel-filtration chromatographic profile similar to that of synthetic peptide YY. Fasting levels of peptide YY in plasma from 127 of 137 (92.7%) ostensibly healthy adults were measurable and showed a log-normal distribution. Using the maximum-likelihood estimation method, we calculated the normal range to be 13-178 pg/ml with a geometric mean value of 49 pg/ml. The fasting plasma peptide YY levels showed no significant age or sex dependency.

Specificity of cholecystokinin antibody may influence choice of tracer for radioimmunoassay

When CCK33 was iodinated at His 20 with lactoperoxidase, the labelled hormone was less immunoreactive under radioimmunoassay conditions than CCK39 which is readily iodinated at Tyr 1. Since the difference in immunoreactivities could not be due to different degrees of oxidative damage, the regional specificity of the assay antibody (UT122, from the laboratory of J.C. Thompson, University of Texas) was re-examined. A synthetic parital sequence, CCK33 6-16, which had similar conformation to the same sequence in the intact peptide, as shown by CD analysis, was devoid of immunoreactivity. Results with sulphated and non-sulphated C-terminal octapeptides of the hormone, CCK8 (CCK33 27-33), indicate limited dependence of the C-terminal region for binding to antibody. Thus, the lower binding with 125I-CCK33 than with 125I-CCK39 indicates that His 20 is an important feature of the immunogenic site and that the iodine atom is large enough to cause steric hindrance. This explains why the method of iodination might have to be varied depending on the regional specificity of antibodies.

Decrease in alkaline secretion during duodenal ulceration induced by mepirizole in rats

The mechanisms by which the potent antiinflammatory agent, mepirizole, causes duodenal ulceration were investigated in the rat. After subcutaneous administration of 200 mg/kg of mepirizole, basal gastric acid secretion remained unchanged for 5 h but duodenal alkaline output, reliably measured, decreased significantly (p less than 0.05) within 2 h. The decrease was maximal (-45%) at 3 h and persisted for a total of 6 h. The duodenal alkaline secretion returned to near normal by 24 h. A dose-response study showed that the threshold ulcerogenic dose of mepirizole (30 mg/kg) did not significantly reduce alkaline secretion, whereas higher doses did. Plasma levels of immunoreactivity of gastrin, pancreatic polypeptide, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, and secretin were not changed at either 6 or 24 h after oral mepirizole. Vasoactive intestinal peptide levels in the duodenal mucosa were increased by 158% at 24 h after administration. Secretin levels in the duodenal mucosa were decreased by greater than 60% at both 6 and 24 h after drug treatment. Intravenous secretin (1 CU/kg X h) had no effect on duodenal alkaline secretion in either saline- (154 mM NaCl) or mepirizole-treated animals. Exogenous 16,16-dimethyl prostaglandin E2 (10 micrograms/kg X h, i.v.) reversed the action of mepirizole on duodenal alkaline secretion. These findings suggest that mepirizole causes a reduction in duodenal alkaline secretion that can be reversed by administration of an exogenous prostaglandin.

Effects of manganese on the growth and morphology of Ureaplasma urealyticum

All of the 14 serotype standard strains of Ureaplasma urealyticum were inhibited to varying degrees by manganese. A 1 mM concentration of this cation either stopped growth or reduced the rate of growth in liquid medium. The presence of manganese also altered colonial morphology and cellular ultrastructure. Inhibition was dose dependent and strain specific. This differential response allowed the serotype strains to be divided into two broad biotypes. For the first biotype (serotypes 1, 3, 6, and 14), inhibition of growth in broth was temporary. For the second biotype (serotypes 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12), inhibition was permanent. Serotype 13 gave an intermediate response and was not classified. The effect of manganese could be at least partially blocked by magnesium but not by calcium, cobalt, copper, iron, potassium, sodium, or zinc. The concentration of magnesium yielding the maximum blocking effect was directly related to manganese sensitivity. Wild-type isolates of ureaplasma and Mycoplasma hominis also showed a differential response to manganese. Laboratory-adapted strains representing species of the genus Mycoplasma (M. hominis, M. fermentans, and M. pneumoniae) were inhibited by 5 but not by 1 mM manganese. The latter concentration inhibited the growth of Acholeplasma laidlawii and Staphylococcus aureus, and 5 mM manganese had no effect on Escherichia coli.

Plasma and brain cholecystokinin levels in cancer anorexia

The syndrome of cancer anorexia includes early satiety in man and a reduction in the duration of feeding in experimental animals. These aberrations suggest dysfunction of peripheral and/or central nervous system satiety mechanisms in tumor-bearing individuals. Since the gut peptide, cholecystokinin (CCK), has been implicated as a potent satiety cue in man and animals, plasma and brain concentrations of CCK were measured by radioimmunoassay in anorectic tumor-bearing rats. Plasma concentrations of immunoreactive CCK were not significantly altered in either an acute Walker 256 carcinosarcoma or more chronic methylcholanthrene-induced sarcoma animal model of cancer anorexia. However, levels of immunoreactive CCK were significantly reduced in the hypothalamus and cerebral cortex of animals bearing the methylcholanthrene sarcoma during both mild and severe anorexia. These data demonstrate that elevations in immunoreactive CCK are not a major factor in the etiology of cancer anorexia. If brain CCK is involved in satiety, tumor-bearing rats may be attempting to compensate for their anorexia by down-regulating CCK production.

Appraisal of endocrine function of segmental autotransplanted pancreas in dogs

There is increasing interest in pancreatic transplantation for patients with diabetes. In experimental models, endocrine function is usually monitored by determination of insulin and glucose levels in plasma. In this study following a segmental pancreatic autotransplant to the iliac fossa in dogs, a combined analysis of three pancreatic islet hormones, insulin, pancreatic polypeptide (PP) and glucagon was undertaken by radioimmunoassay of plasma. These were measured under basal conditions and following provocation with a standard meal, arginine, secretin and bombesin infusions. Immunohistochemical and electron microscopic examination of transplanted tissue was also performed. Circulating insulin and glucose levels in the surviving dogs with transplants reflected normoglycaemia with a normal tolerance to iv glucose and immunohistochemical detection of endocrine cells producing insulin, PP and glucagon. Secretory granules were found in A and B cells by electron microscopy. The normal circulating glucagon immunoreactivity could have originated in gastric antral A cells as well as in pancreatic tissue. It was not possible, however, to stimulate the autotransplanted pancreas to release detectable PP into the circulation.

Effect of extragastric vagotomy on pancreatic polypeptide in dogs

The direct vagal innervation of the pancreas in dogs was interrupted by extragastric vagotomy (EGV). The response of pancreatic polypeptide (PP) to a protein meal and to hypoglycemia was compared preoperatively, after EGV and after truncal vagotomy (TV). EGV had no detectable effect on PP secretion under basal or stimulated conditions. After TV, the PP response to a protein meal was reduced and totally abolished in response to insulin hypoglycemia when compared to preoperative results. This indicates that direct innervation of the pancreas is of little importance for the release of PP but that vagal innervation of the stomach is important provided that the vagal fibers to PP cells all pass through these extragastric vagal branches.

Prevention of type 2 herpes simplex virus induced cervical carcinoma in mice by prior immunization with a vaccine prepared from type 1 herpes simplex virus

Repeated intra-vaginal inoculation of mice with inactivated type 2 herpes simplex virus induced cervical carcinoma in approximately 50% of mice. Prior immunization with subunit vaccine Ac NFU1(S-) BHK reduced the frequency of cervical carcinoma to 19%. Inoculation of mice with a control preparation of uninfected cell extract never induced preinvasive or invasive cervical cancer. There was evidence of an antibody response in every vaccinated and/or innoculated animal. Mice developing cervical cancer had a significantly higher antibody titre to type 2 herpes virus than mice not developing cancer. These results are in general accord with sero-epidemiological studies of preinvasive and invasive cervical carcinoma in human subjects and suggests that this experimental model may be appropriate for further investigation of prevention of human cervical cancer by vaccination.